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The number of children with nearsightedness has increased

• Even before COVID, the number of children with nearsightedness was on the rise due to the high amount of time children spend on screens

• The rate of nearsightedness has increased dramatically as a result of children using screens for school

• Whenever possible, children should take screen breaks

• If children must be on screens, they should follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Children should spend more time outside!

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The number of children with diabetes has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

• When children aren’t in school, they are more sedentary

• Children participating in distance learning tend to snack more throughout the day

• For many disadvantaged children, the lunch provided at school is more nutritionally balanced than what they have access to at home

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There has been a sharp increase in anxiety and depression among children

• The age when anxiety and/or depression begins has gotten younger since the start of the pandemic

• Children’s mental health is suffering as a result of the loss of routines, socializing with peers, worry about illness, worry about money, etc.

• Nearly every state in the country is reporting a shortage of child psychiatrists/psychologists

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There so many unknowns about the COVID-19 pandemic and how it will affect children long-term

• Loss of academic skills

• Lack of social skills practice

• Language development, particularly for infants and toddlers in care settings where all adults are wearing masks

• Higher rates of child abuse in homes, but fewer reported cases as a result of teachers not seeing children

• Separation struggles after more than a year of not having to separate each day

It will be several years before we know the full effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children

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